Small Town America is Alive & Well.

[MineralMan]

Yesterday my wife and I drove an hour from our home in St. Paul to a small town I had not been to before. My wife has an old friend who lives there, and there was a vintage brass band festival scheduled there. The town is Northfield, MN. I was mainly interested in the vintage band festival.

Aside from the road construction going on on all routes to that small town, it looked like it would be an interesting outing. So we drove down there, parked on the main street of Northfield, in a spot just a block away from the town square. Luckily for us, someone was leaving a spot.

In the town square, not only was there a big brass band playing in the bandshell, but there was also a farmer's market going on, too. So, to the sound of Sousa marches and other music, we wandered through the farmer's market. My wife bought a gift from one of the booths to give at Christmas, we bought some food from a taco truck, and sat down to listen to the music.

Thousands of people were there, enjoying the day, shopping in the farmer's market, and walking by the Cannon River, that flows through this small town. My wife's old friend showed up, and they wandered off to visit. I looked at the festival's schedule and noticed that a "Battle of the Civil War Bands" would be starting shortly, so I followed the river walk to where that would take place.

Six bands were there, all in vintage uniforms, all with restored period brass instruments or brand new reproductions, manufactured by some company I didn't know about. Three bands on each bank of the river, in a wooded scenic setting. I found one of the bands, which had traveled to this festival from North Carolina, all dressed in Confederate gray and carrying authentic period instruments, so I settled down near them to listen.

The music was all from the period, the performers in all of the bands approached professional skills and the music was great. Looking at the program, there were bands present from all over the US and from several other countries. Plus the several thousand people who were there visiting the festival. The band I chose to perch near was actually one of the better groups, and I got to hear the sound of the period instruments, something I had hoped to do.

I heard nothing about the economy, nothing about politics, nothing about any issues, as I listened to the bands and the conversations near me and as I walked around the venue. Some folks wore 19th century clothing, children and strollers were everywhere, and the entire event was happy, peaceful, and carefree.

What struck me is that this well-attended, entertaining, and festive event had nothing to do with anything but enjoying a summer day without any other motive but to enjoy that day. A small town attracted people from all over the Twin Cities area and performers from the entire country, along with other countries. All for a weekend of simple pleasures.

Things are not unremittingly horrible here in the US. Not always. Not continuously. There are still people out there enjoying themselves, visiting small towns, and participating in a festival that reflects another time.

Very nice day. Had we not gone to this event, though, we could have chosen among three county fairs, a few other small town festivals and celebrations, several art fairs, and many other public activities within an hour of Minneapolis St. Paul. Folks are doing things. People are enjoying summer days. Americans are putting their worries and problems aside and having nice days. Not everyone, but not everyone does anything.

Today, we're taking Dude, our beagle/basset mix to "Paws on Grand," another street event in Saint Paul.

Tomorrow, I'll worry about things again. I needed a break. Everyone needs a break, I think.

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. Countdown to naysayers comment.....3, 2, 1....

"No one should be able to enjoy a normal American outing in a small town until poverty and homelessness have been eliminated"


Or;

"It's good that you can afford to do things like that. So many in this country can't."


Or;

"I wish I could do that sort of thing. I'm stuck in this public library, using a free computer to read DU for all hours of the day until I have to return to my cardboard box down by the river."


Sounds like a great day. There's thousands of events like that happening all over the country every single weekend. It's good that you had fun.

[MineralMan]

2. I suppose. Interestingly enough, that town had severe flooding

this spring, when the Cannon River jumped its banks. No signs of that there this weekend.

[Brickbat]

3. Two highly successful private colleges have kept Northfield stable throughout the years. If the

higher-education bubble collapses, Northfield might have to face some real challenges that it's managed to avoid so far.

Small-town festivals are an absolute delight and it sounds like you had a great time. If you go back, go during the Defeat of Jesse James Days. The town takes a lot of pride in its history of resistance to the James-Younger gang.

[MineralMan]

8. Thanks. We're already thinking of going down there for the Jesse James

Days thing. It's a charming community...one I could easily live in if we didn't need to be located near my wife's mother.

[treestar]

4. But the NSA now knows you and every other person

who were there and what you were up to!

[MineralMan]

9. Have I revealed too much?

[Eleanors38]

5. Thanks for this re-assuring and comforting post.

Two years ago I went to the 4th of July celebration in Micanopy, Florida, along with a brother and my 90+ yr-old mother. She loved the one-cylinder tractors, the old vets' parade, the cracker cowboys (including one black man) whacking monster whips, the fish fry under big mossy oaks. This was her life, and I was reminded it was in some measure mine as well.

[MineralMan]

10. Such gatherings are important, both in small towns and in

neighborhoods in big cities.

[cali]

6. Sounds like a great day.

And not an unfamiliar one to me. I love dog centered events and places. Alas, one of my dogs died a few summer's back and this will be the last summer for my other, now ancient, pal.

I don't know if you're familiar with the late artist and craftsman Stephen Hunek but he created the wonderful Dog Mountain and Dog Chapel. It's a joyful and comforting place.

<snip>


After a while I head back to the chapel, which Huneck built in the style of an 1820s Vermont village church. The sign out front reads, “Welcome All Creeds. All Breeds. No Dogmas Allowed.” There’s a ladder blocking the entrance, but I move it aside and open the door. Inside the foyer, a larger version of the dog angel cupola (or maybe it just seems larger) greets visitors, but the most striking things are the countless multicolored squares and photos papering the walls.

“Old Dear Pepper, no more falling down the stairs for you.”

“My beautiful angel, I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“Vince, the love of my life, I will always miss you.”

“Coco Was Here.”

The faces of dogs (and some cats) smile out from the wall: The grins are big. The animals are chewing on bones, lying on rugs, running in fields, jumping on couches, with and without their owners, who are grinning, too.

I could spend all day just reading these moving testimonials, which remind me, again, how universal the experience of loving — and, unfortunately, losing — an animal is. But the glow from the chapel’s sanctuary draws me farther in, and when I step inside, I gasp. What I thought was patchwork wallpaper covering every inch of space is instead tens of thousands more notes from bereaved pet owners. It feels, suddenly, as if this is where every animal owner in the world has come to grieve.

<snip>

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-10/lifestyle/35491689_1_dog-heaven-sculptures-dog-busts

http://www.dogmt.com/

[MineralMan]

12. That's a nice tribute to all of those pets.

I just got back from the canine street thing in St. Paul. My wife's dentist is the partner of her cousin, so, we parked behind his office, which is in an old house, and then set up on the steps by the sidewalk. We had a bag of dog treats, a bottomless water bowl, and Dude was on a leash attached to the railing. He got to meet probably 200 dogs, and we got to meet those dogs' owners. Very pleasant, and we offered some info on the dental practice to those who asked.

Very low key. Just lots of dogs walking on the sidewalks of Grand Avenue in St. Paul. It's a very popular district for restaurants, shops, and other such things. A nice afternoon's relaxation.

[Archae]

7. My Mom lives near several small towns.

I couldn't live up there, though.

No public transportation.
Those who don't drive are pretty much screwed.

[MineralMan]

11. It depends what on what you do. Until I moved to

the Twin Cities, I had never lived in any place with a population over 10,000. I'm a freelance writer, so I can live anywhere, as long as I have assignments. Still, before I did that, I had jobs in the towns where I lived. So do many people living in them today.